Food packaging serves a variety of functions, such as, for example, safe and generally sterile storage of food product. Of course, packages also function to contain the food product such that it remains fresh and tasty for consumption. In addition to containment of food product, a consumer must also be able to easily dispense the food product conveniently and cleanly. However, different food products present different challenges for its respective packaging. For example, liquid commonly forms in voids or spaces inside sour cream packaging primarily due to “fracturing” or breaking apart of the sour cream, either from transport or use. Thus, when dispensing the sour cream, such liquid is dispensed with or in lieu of the sour cream making the sour cream oftentimes less desirable. Conventional sour cream cup containers, for example, account for such liquid buildup by allowing a user access to the cup container to gently stir the product to blend the sour cream and liquid together before serving; however, such mixing is burdensome and can reduce the freshness of the sour cream.
Dairy products, such as sour cream, must be properly sealed to ensure that the product can be sterilized and remains fresh when the consumer is ready to consume the product. Reference is made to FIGS. 1A and 1B in connection with U.S. Pat. No. 5,810,184 to Adams et al. (“Adams”), which is hereby incorporated by reference and discloses a fitment 50 for use as a pour spout for a paper carton or flexible bag for liquids and powders. The fitment 50 includes a flange 52 which may be welded around a hole in the carton. A spout 54 projects from the flange 52 and includes thread 56 for receiving corresponding thread of a replaceable cap. The fitment 50 includes a removable membrane 58 disposed interior to the spout 54. An outer top surface of the membrane 58 is concave. A horizontally disposed pull ring 60 is attached to the membrane 58 by a vertically extending portion 62 that is reinforced with a vertically extending gusset 64.
To access the contents of the carton or flexible bag, a user typically removes a threaded cap to access the pull ring 60, which begins fracturing the membrane 58 at a tear line 66. Once the frangible membrane 58 is removed the cap functions as the closure for the carton or flexible bag. Thus, the cap is threaded back onto the thread 56 of the spout 54 before the carton or bag is stored in a refrigerator. A cap is typically an axisymmetric generally bowl-shaped, thin-walled plastic part. As such, neither over-rotation of the cap nor orientation of the cap with respect to the spout 54 is typically a concern, provided the threaded engagement is sufficiently secure.